Syllabus
1. Introduction2. General principles of animal communication with emphasis on vocal communication3. Sound: production, transmission and reception4. Evolution of vocal communication, universal code, communication networks5. Interspecies and intraspecific variability of vocal signals6. Variability of vocal signals over time, territoriality, species recognition7. Echolocation8. Vocal communication in water9. Vocal communication of humans and animals - differences and similarities
Annotation
The lecture is planned as an introduction to bioacoustics and vocal communication of animals. The first brief part is devoted to the explanation of terms commonly used in bioacoustics and the properties of sound and deals in more detail with its transmission. It briefly introduces the methods of recording and sound recording analyses. A more substantial part of the lecture is focused on various aspects of animal vocal communication and partly also communication in general (evolution of communication, strategies and interactions between vocalizing individual and signal receiver, adaptation of animals to sound transmission in different environments, communication at different levels - between individuals within one population up to interspecies communication, underwater communication, echolocation, etc.).
The lecture is focused in more detail on birds - the group with the most diverse vocalisation, and Examples from specific research projects of the lecturer (including motivation of research, used methods and subsequent interpretation) are used in teaching. The final part is devoted to the comparison of vocal communication between humans and animals.
In case of interest, it is also possible to organize practical courses including recording and subsequent analysis of recordings.